Everyone Needs a Guardian
by Shadougelover14
Summary: After a prank goes humorously wrong, Jack is stuck with taking care of Bunny & helping prepare for Easter. However, an old enemy returns to reek havoc. With the days to Easter dwindling down and its Guardian's hope fading, will the other Guardians be able to save the holiday in time? (Not a slash Bunny/Jack fic, sorry...)
1. Chapter 1

"Explain to me again," North said, studying Jack, "How did this happen?"

The winter spirit sighed as he leaned on his staff.

"Like I said the last twenty times, I can't, because I really don't _know_ what happened."

"That's a bloody lie!"

They both looked at the small, fluffy, bluish gray rabbit sitting on North's desk, glaring up the boy.

"You know exactly what happened ya bludger now change me back!"

"Look Bunny, I really don't know what or how it happened, and I definantly don't know how to fix it. On the bright side," Jack said, a smirk forming, "You look like a bunny now. A _sweet, adorable_ little bunny."

Bunny's eye twitched, and he leapt at the winter spirit with a growl. North quickly grabbed the small rabbit's scruff and held him back, a small smile pulling at his lips.

"I've had it! Let me at him, let go of me!" Bunny yelled, kicking at the air with his feet.

"Calm down, Bunny, we will fix this! Now, Jack, tell me everything that happened up to…this."

"Okay, so…I kinda went through some boxes in your basement…and I found a bunch of bottles. I thought it'd be fun to use 'em to mess with Bunny, and one thing led to another and…well, that happened." Jack replied, a sheepish grin forming.

North stared at him for a minute in shock.

"You went through boxes? In my basement?! Those were potions I invented years ago!"

"Well, you didn't exactly put any warnings up; and why make a potion that turns people young?"

"It was experiment I thought of to fix old toys and such, but then I thought of just making new ones. I did not think it would work on living things, though…"

"Yeah, well it did! Now change me back! Easter's in 5 weeks and I have to finish getting things ready!" Bunny shouted.

"Well, I uh…see, there is slight problem. I never really came up with anything to reverse spell." North stated with a nervous grin, setting the rabbit on the desk.

Bunny stared at him for a moment, before hopping down beside the desk, and slowly banging his forehead against it.

"Why…of all…the bloody…luck…does this…have to…happen…to me…?" he muttered between hits.

"Hey, relax, it's not so bad." Jack said.

Bunny slowly turned to him, eyes narrowed.

"Not so bad? _This _is _not so bad_?!" he shouted, hopping up and down in fury.

"I mean don't worry; I'm sure North can find a way to fix this."

North glanced at him in slight annoyance, then down at Bunny, who was staring up at him pleadingly.

"Alright, I will look through library, but it might take a while. I haven't read them in years."

"Just find a way to change me back!"

"I will try, in mean time, you should stay here so we can keep eye on you."

"Stay here? With the yetis who can step on me, and the offsiders who half the time I want to kill, and the cold, and _him_?" Bunny exclaimed, gesturing to Jack.

"Do not worry, Jack will behave and do his part in helping, _right_ Jack?"

"What?!" Jack and Bunny exclaimed.

"Jack, you will make sure Bunny is safe until he is back to normal self."

"Why do I have to-"

"Because you caused this, now, you pay consequences."

"Awww…" Jack and Bunny groaned.

"I'll take my chances out in the snow if that's alright with you." Bunny said, heading for the door.

"Bunny, you cannot last in cold weather, you do not even have winter coat."

"I'll take that over dealing with him for however long it takes!"

"I have to agree with the baby kangaroo on this." Jack stated.

Bunny glowered at him, while North sighed.

"I know you two have difficult time getting along, but perhaps this will provide opportunity for you to try and bond a little, Guardian to Guardian."

Both Bunny and Jack were giving him blank looks, and he shrugged.

"Or you cause great headache until I find the right spell, whatever works for you two; good luck."

With that, North quickly left, leaving Jack and Bunny glaring at each other.

"Well, this should be a fair dinkum of a time…" Bunny grumbled.

"Extremely…" Jack muttered.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Put me down!" Bunny yelled angrily as Jack carried him through the workshop area of North's home.

"Do you want to hop around the floor with giant yetis walking everywhere?" Jack asked as he kept hold of the flailing rabbit.

"I'll choose that over this embarrassment!"

"Well I'm not gonna risk getting a lecture from North about 'not taking care of your pet properly'."

"Pet?! I am not your pet-!"

"At the moment, that's pretty much what you are. Now stop kicking or I'm gonna- HEY!"

Bunny had finally squirmed free, and took off through the shop, and Jack hastily ran after him.

"Bunny, get back here!"

The rabbit zigzagged under the tables and around the yetis, while Jack took to the air to chase after him. Elves shouted at Bunny as he shoved past them, while yetis tripped to avoid stepping on him. Jack's eyes narrowed as he tried to keep Bunny in his sight, and looked ahead to search for a way to intercept him. He spotted a doorway leading towards the guest rooms, and smirked.

Bunny swerved around another elf, and spotted a doorway. He smirked, and glanced around to try and find Jack. The winter spirit was nowhere in sight, and he figured he must've left him behind.

'_I told him he could never keep up with me.'_ He thought smugly.

He headed for the hall, but just as he made it past the entryway, he came to a jarring halt, and hit the floor. He pushed himself up with his front paws, and glanced back to see one of his hind legs frozen to the floor. Jack stepped out from a nearby room, smirking as he walked over to the trapped rabbit.

"What was it you said last week? I could never keep up with you?"

Bunny merely frowned, and Jack snickered as he crouched beside him. He touched the ice with the bottom of his staff, and it melted away. Before Bunny could make a break for it, Jack quickly grabbed him, and held him tightly as he started walking down the hall.

"You know, this place isn't that bad once you get used to it. I've been living here for a few weeks, and it's pretty nice."

"Good for you…" Bunny muttered, glowering at the floor.

Jack came to a stop at one door that was decorated with blue wood, and a large J was carved into the top. He opened it, and walked into a large furnished room; there was dark blue carpeting, a red lounge chair, a huge bed with a quilt on it, and there was a gigantic window beside the bed, revealing the outside world. Neither Jack nor Bunny had realized how late it was; the sky was black, and snow was pelting the window, leaving small splotches of fog on the glass.

Jack let Bunny down, and shut the door, then headed for the bed.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've had a long and rather…weird day, so I'm turning in." Jack sighed, relaxing on the bed. He set his staff against the wall, and leaned back.

Bunny rolled his eyes, and hopped over to the chair. After some struggling, he finally made it into the seat, and curled up in the corner, shivering a little. The room was about as warm as it was outside.

"How do you stand this temperature?" he muttered.

"I'm a winter spirit, so uh, cold is kinda my thing. Why, can't take the cold?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, I'll be fine…"

"If you say so…"

:::::::::::::::::

Jack wasn't sure what woke him up; the room was dark, the lights having shut off hours ago. The only light came from the moon outside the window. In the dim light, Jack could barely see the chair. Bunny was curled up asleep in the corner, shivering uncontrollably. Jack watched him for a few seconds, before glancing at the quilt he was sitting on top of.

'_Well, not like I use it anyway._' Jack thought, before getting up and gathering the blanket in his arms. He arranged it into a bundle on the end of the bed, and quietly approached the chair. He carefully lifted Bunny from the chair, trying not to wake him, and set him in the blanket. Almost immediately, Bunny burrowed into it, practically disappearing in the blue blanket.

Jack smirked, before climbing back on the bed, and returning to slumber.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

I saw Rise of the Guardians last week, and I freakin loved it! Jack Frost, who I'm glad was finally depicted as a good guy, was amazing, Sandy was adorable and bad a** when fighting, but my most favorite character of all was Bunnymund! Especially when he got turned into a normal rabbit, he was so freakin adorable! Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this story, whether I continue it is up to reviews, if I get a lot, I'll continue! So if you wanna know what happens, click that amazing review box! R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Bunny's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he was met blue fabric. He was confused at first, before recalling yesterday's events. He stuck his head out of the makeshift nest of quilt, and was met with a brightly lit room. He glanced behind him, but the bed was empty, and Jack was nowhere in sight. He noticed that the door had been left slightly ajar, enough room for him to get out. He climbed out of the quilt, hopped down from the bed, and made for the door.

He followed the hall back to the workshop area, which was surprisingly calm. There were still yetis and elves roaming around, but not quite the frenzy it was last night. Weaving his way safely through the crowd, he reached North's office, and the door was open slightly as well. He could hear North and Jack's voices inside, and pushed his way in. North was at his desk, numerous books surrounding him, while Jack hovered behind him. The latter was the first to notice him, and he smirked.

"Morning, sleeping beauty."

Bunny frowned as he hopped over.

"Ah, Bunny, how did you sleep?" North asked pleasantly as the rabbit used the towers of books to hop up to the desk top.

"Oh, just great, except it was bloody freezing!" Bunny exclaimed.

"Yes, welcome to North Pole."

Jack snickered a little, ignoring Bunny's glare. The rabbit sighed, before looking at North.

"Please tell me you found something!"

"Well…no, not really, but I am working fast as I can."

"Well hurry up! I need to start preparing for Easter!"

"Relax, I will find something, even if Easter is not as important."

Bunny glared, and took a step towards him.

"Ya know, I really get sick of you sayin' that-!"

"Easy, Fluffy." Jack said, one finger scratching the rabbit under his chin.

Bunny stopped for a minute, a small smile forming as his foot thumped up a down.

"Ohhh that feels niiiice…" he mumbled.

He then shook his head, and swatted Jack's hand away.

"Stop it!"

Jack smirked, while North let out a sigh.

"If you are so worried about Easter, why don't you go to Warren?"

"Uhhh…I'm not sure I'll…be able to do anything when I'm…like this."

"So take Jack with you."

Both of them stared at North like he'd grown a second head.

"Are you insane?! I'm not letting that bludger in my warren!"

"I'm not helping that annoying fuzz bucket!"

"Very well, then Easter will be behind schedule and kids will stop believing in Bunny." North stated.

Bunny and Jack glanced at each other irritably, before sighing.

"Alright…"

"Fine…"

"Good, have fun!"

Jack and Bunny grumbled to themselves as they left the office, and North chuckled as he watched them go.

'_Cannot believe they fell for that! I just wanted some peace and quiet.'_

::::::::::::::::

"Alright, so, how are we gonna get there?" Jack asked as they headed outside.

"Just let me find one of my tunnels…crikey it's cold! I can't feel my feet, I can't feel my feet!" Bunny exclaimed as he jumped through the snow.

After a few minutes, he came to a stop a few feet away from the Pole.

"Alright, there's one here…just let me…open it…!" he grumbled, hopping up and down on the spot.

"Having trouble, Roo?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Very funny…and I'm a bunny! Just…open ya bloody…tunnel…!"

Jack walked over and watched him for a few seconds, before moving Bunny out of the way with his foot, and tapping the spot with the end of his staff. A large hole opened, and Bunny stared at Jack in shock.

"How did you do that?" he exclaimed.

"How do you think I keep getting into your place?"

Bunny frowned, before jumping down the hole, followed by a smirking Jack, and the hole closed behind them.

:::::::::::::::::::::

"Ohh this is much better!" Bunny sighed as he lay in the warm grass.

"If you say so." Jack muttered.

"Alright, so, first thing's first, we need to get dye for the eggs."

"You've got a flowing river full of it over there…hey where'd it go?"

The river Jack had been talking about was just that; a clear river of water.

"I use different colors, so I had to clean it out a couple days ago so it wouldn't mix with the next color. So, we're going to need to get some dye."

"Where would we get it?"

"The Lucky Country."

"Um, and that would be where?"

"Australia, where else?"

"Why didn't you say so?"

"Humph, anyway, you go do that, while I get the eggs ready."

"Me? I don't know how to get it."

"There's a tunnel that leads to a small group of trees. There's a group of people there that harvest it for me, just tell 'em I sent ya."

"Yay…"

"Just take the tunnel over there, and DON'T FORGET TO CLOSE IT! The last thing I need is some drongo fallin' in here."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Have I ever let you down?"

Bunny glowered at him, and he shrugged.

"Relax, I'll get it and be back before you know it. Just try not to get stepped on by your egg trolls."

"Ha ha, just go."

Jack snickered, and headed for…

"Where was the tunnel again?"

A frustrated groan was his answer.

:::::::::::::

"Alright, thanks guys, nice place you're running here." Jack said, holding a box of various dyes.

The people, who were actually ancient Australian spirits, nodded happily, and vanished into the trees they'd come from. Jack sighed, and turned back to the hole leading to the Warren. He jumped in, and after carefully making his way down, arrived at the Warren.

"Hey Bunny, I'm back!"

"Jack, help me!"

Jack jumped a little, and looked around. He spotted the tiny Bunnymund hanging from a tree branch.

"What are you doing up there?!"

"Well, apparently, the eggs think my current condition means they don't have to listen to me! A couple climbed up the tree, so I tried to follow, but…well, you see where it led. Now get me down!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming just relax!"

Jack set the crate down, and flew up to where Bunny was dangling from. The rabbit quickly jumped into his arms, and they returned to the ground. Bunny hopped down, taking a few calming breathes.

"Whew, thanks Frostbite. Now then, did ya get the dye?"

"Yes, yes, I got your oh so important paint bottles. By the way, those friends of yours are weird, they never talk, they just stare and smile."

"Yeah, I know, but when I think about the other people I hang out with, they're actually pretty normal. Now, help me with the eggs since they won't listen!"

Jack snickered as he watched Bunny chase around a couple eggs, before grabbing the dye.

"Whatever you say, Roo."

"Stop calling me that, and did you remember to close the tunnel?"

Jack paused for a moment, trying to think back, but Bunny's yelp after falling into the river cut in.

"Yeah I think I did. So, should I put the dye in now? Because I'm dying to see you purple."

"You're not funny! Now come on and help me get the eggs!" Bunny snapped as he climbed out of the river.

Jack snickered, and followed the rabbit.

Meanwhile, back at the hole Jack had arrived from, black dust started seeping in…

:::::::::::::::::::


	3. Chapter 3

"Just get in the water!" Bunny shouted as he shoved a couple of eggs into the now purple water. He turned around, and started ushering a few more towards the river.

"Just because I'm smaller doesn't mean I don't hold the same authority!"

"Actually…I'm finding it harder to respect you any more than usual." Jack stated.

Bunny glowered, before kicking an egg in with his back foot.

"So, are we done yet? At least for the day?" Jack asked.

"No we are not done yet! Easter takes a lot of preparation, no matter what North says!"

"Aside from all the frilly little designs, what else is there to do?"

"Ya see all the eggs we did today?"

Jack nodded.

"Those are just for New York; we've still got twenty more states to prepare for! I got the rest of the states set before you pulled your stupid prank."

"_Twenty_?! How many eggs is that?"

"About…a couple million."

"…That's a _loooot_ of eggs…"

"Yeah, it's a lot of work, but it's worth it. Now, if we could just get these lousy eggs to get in the dye…!"

"Here's an easy shortcut."

Jack froze a small path that led to the river, and pushed a group of eggs onto it. The small forms slipped on the ice, and slid along the path right into the river.

"There, problem solved."

Bunny rolled his eyes, but Jack could see a small smile form.

"Is that a smile I see?"

"No!" Bunny snapped, quickly frowning.

"Uh huh, sure; you know you need to have a little more fun."

He nudged Bunny onto the ice slick, and the rabbit slid along the ice and into the river of dye with a yelp. Jack burst into laughter, while a now purple Bunny scrambled out of the river, grumbling furiously as he tried to dry off by shaking.

"JACK!" he shouted.

"Come on, Roo, loosen up and have some fun!"

"Oh, I'll show ya fun ya little whacker, come here!"

He lunged at Jack, who laughed as he jumped out of the way and landed on a tree branch.

"I'm up here, Fluffy!"

"Get down here and take it like a man!"

"What are you gonna do, cuddle me to death?"

"Get down here and I'll show ya what I'll do!"

Jack snickered, before leaping from the branch and flying away, with Bunny chasing after him.

"Get back here, Frostbite!"

Jack flew towards the ground ahead of him, and formed a trail of ice along the ground. A yelp from behind told him Bunny had fallen for his trap, and a smirk formed. He kept the trail going for a few seconds, before allowing it to end at the edge of a pond where a few already decorated eggs were lounging. Bunny flew off a small ice ramp, and landed in the water.

Jack laughed as he landed, and continued laughing as Bunny splashed around for a few seconds. The rabbit scrambled to shore, clawing his way out and sitting for a few seconds, shivering.

"Well, at least the dye came out." Jack remarked.

Bunny glowered at him, and was about to snap at him before he suddenly froze; his ears and nose were twitching, and he was looking around in all directions.

"What's up?" Jack asked.

"…Something's not right…there's something here…"

Jack walked over to him, and glanced around for anything suspicious. The eggs seemed to sense something was wrong as well, and scrambled out of sight. Jack and Bunny moved in a slow circle as they tried to find the cause of the ominous atmosphere.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." A chilling voice spoke, startling the duo.

They whipped around, and were shocked at who they saw.

"Pitch?!" Jack exclaimed.

The Nightmare King smirked at their surprise, and sauntered toward them. They took a few cautious steps back, and Jack pointed his staff at him in warning.

"It's been a while hasn't it? I'm simply thrilled to see you two again; oh, and would you look at that," Pitch continued, his eerie golden eyes snapping to Bunny, "What an adorable little bunny."

"I'll show you adorable-!" Bunny retorted, taking a hop towards him.

A fearling suddenly leapt out of the shadows of a tree, coming between them, and sending Bunny scrambling behind Jack.

"What were you saying little bunny?" Pitch snickered.

"What do you want, Pitch?" Jack demanded.

"What do I want? Hmm…what could I possibly want from the people who defeated me?"

Several more fearlings appeared, closing in on the two guardians.

"Bunny, you should get out of here." Jack muttered.

"As if, you can't take that whacker on your own!" Bunny retorted.

"Well it's not like you can do anything at the moment."

"I'm staying right here, mate!"

"Fine."

Jack sent a blast of ice at one of the fearlings, reducing it to sand, and that set the others off. They swarmed around Jack and Bunny, and the former was striking out with his magic and his staff. Bunny couldn't do much else but watch, and wish he could do more.

Jack was suddenly sent flying into the pond when a fearling slammed into him.

"Jack!" Bunny yelled, before scrambling out of the way of a large hoof seconds before it stomped on the ground where he'd been.

All the fearlings that hadn't been destroyed were now focused solely on him, as was Pitch, who had a spine chilling grin on his face.

"This reminds me of all the hunting parties back in the old days that chased after little pests like you; such a shame there aren't any Greyhounds around." Pitch remarked.

Bunny took a step back as the fearlings moved towards him, before turning tail and racing off deeper into the Warren. The fearlings let out screeches, before taking off after him. At that moment, Jack burst out of the water, scrambling onto land as he gulped down air. Upon seeing the fearlings going after Bunny, he hastily got to his feet to go after them.

"No, leave him alone!" he yelled.

Something struck his head from behind, and the last thing he heard before passing out was Pitch's laughter.

::::::::

Bunny was panting heavily as he zipped past trees and mushrooms. He could hear the fearlings coming after him, and looked around for some kind of inspiration. He spotted a tree up ahead with a hole just below it, and put all his might into running towards it.

Seconds before the fearlings could reach him, he dove into the hole. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd thought the hole would make a great hiding place; there were a few eggs hiding down here as well. One was a small violet one that Bunny had grown rather fond of, and it squeaked a little in excitement upon seeing him. It quickly stopped though when the sounds of the fearlings stomping around outside the hole reached them. The eggs huddled in the furthest corner of the hole, while Bunny crouched in front of them.

"So, where did the little rabbit go?"

Pitch's voice made him shrink down a little, and his ears twitched as they tried to pick up any other sounds.

"In the hole, eh? Hmm…"

Things were silent for a minute or two, and Bunny strained to hear anything that would tell what Pitch was doing.

'_He couldn't have just left…'_ he thought.

He was dragged from his thoughts though, when he noticed black sand slipping into the hole. He gasped, and pressed as far back into the wall as he could, while the eggs were squealing anxiously. As soon as the sand came in contact with Bunny, it started dragging him towards the entrance. The eggs were attempting to help, but were thrown off by the particles of sand.

The sand dragged him out of the hole, and into the waiting hands of Pitch, who easily kept hold of the struggling rabbit.

"Now, now, easy boy." Pitch snickered, scratching the top of the rabbit's head with one dark finger.

Bunny flinched at the touch, completely frozen as the finger trailed down his spine. Pitch smirked, before something bumped into his foot. He looked down, and saw several small eggs ramming into his foot. A large nearby rock suddenly moved, and rose up off the ground, the top half rotating to reveal a face etched in the rock. It lumbered towards them, and the smaller eggs continued running into Pitch's foot.

"Seems your little helpers are finally showing some backbone." The dark man remarked, before holding up Bunny by the scruff of his neck.

"Make a move and the rabbit dies."

The egg golem and the small eggs stopped, and Pitch smirked.

"Good, now you, back on the ground," he said, looking at the golem.

The stone was still for a moment, as if assessing the situation, before slowly lowering back to the ground.

"Good, now-"

He stopped, and frowned down at a yellow egg that was still hitting his foot. Though Bunny was grateful for its attempted assistance, he felt a sense of dread rising.

"Stubborn little egg, isn't it?" Pitch asked, before lifting his foot and promptly stomping on the small egg. There was a sickening crack, and Pitch smirked as the rest of the eggs squealed and fled back into the hole.

"Yet so easily breakable, hmm…"

Bunny was brought back down into Pitch's arms, holding the rabbit like a child would carefully hold a pet.

"I wonder what sounds you'll make when you crack…" the Nightmare King murmured, his finger tracing the small rabbit's spine again. Bunny couldn't stop his body from trembling, and Pitch's smirk turned into a spine chilling grin.

Black sand swirled around them, and as he came in contact with it, Bunny slipped into dark sleep…

:::::::::::::::::::::::;;

Jack slowly opened his eyes, wincing as his head throbbed. Something nudged his arm, and he lifted his head to see a group of eggs. After a few seconds of reorienting, everything came back to him and he jumped to his feet.

"Bunny!" he yelled, looking around.

The small grey rabbit was nowhere in sight though. He looked down at the eggs, who were squeaking in what sounded like a sad tone.

"He took him, didn't he?"

They squeaked again, and he sighed.

"Dang it…I gotta get back to the Pole and tell North! Which one of those tunnels leads to the Pole?"

One egg, a small violet one, jumped, and started running towards the tunnels, and Jack followed close behind.

::::::::::::::::::::::


	4. Chapter 4

Jack finally climbed out of the tunnel, and was met with a welcome blast of cold air. He closed the tunnel (at least he remembered to close _this_ one…) and then took to the air and bolted towards the nearby Pole.

The front doors were blown open, and he flew in, ignoring the angered shouts from the yetis. He quickly arrived at North's office, and flung the door open. North, whose back was to the door, jumped, nearly dropping the ice train he was working on, and sighed as he turned around.

"Phil, how many times do I have to tell you to-!"

North stopped when he saw it was Jack, who was panting a little from exertion.

"Oh, Jack, how are you? How was Warren?"

"North, we've got a problem!"

"What, did Bunny get stuck somewhere?"

"N- well, sorta."

"Where is he?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! Pitch was in the Warren!"

North's eyes widened. "What?!"

"He ambushed us, knocked me out, and took Bunny!"

"Are you alright?!"

"Yes, _I'm_ fine, it's Bunny we need to worry about! We have to after him! We have to call the others! We have to-!"

North grabbed his shoulders, causing him to fall silent.

"Jack, calm down! We need plan first before we go rushing in. We will call others, yes, but in mean time, you rest. I can see bump on your head like a golf ball."

"But…Bunny-"

"Is strong person even in current condition; he can take care of himself. We will find him fast as we can."

Jack was silent for a moment, somberly meet his gaze, before sighing.

"Okay…"

"Good, now come to infirmary so we can take care of that golf ball."

Jack nodded, and followed him out of the office.

'_He's right…Bunny can take anything…right?'_

::::::::::::::::::::

Bunny muttered curses under his breath as he once again yanked on the chain of black sand connected to a black collar around his neck. The other end was connected to the floor of the large, tall, hanging cage that he was confined to.

He'd woken up about ten minutes ago, and so far hadn't seen Pitch; although a few minutes earlier he swore he saw two yellow eyes briefly watching him from the shadows.

After giving one more harsh tug, Bunny finally sat down with a sigh of irritation.

"Are you still trying? Or did you finally gain a little sense and give up?"

Pitch appeared from the shadows cast by the lair's various pillars, and approached the cage with a faux friendly smile. Bunny merely glared at him, before standing, turning away from him, and laying back down. There was a snicker, before Pitch spoke up again.

"You know, this form really suits you. It shows what you really are inside; a weak, pathetic, _scared_ animal."

"Keep talkin', gives me more reasons to shut ya up when I get out'a here…" Bunny retorted, still not looking at the Nightmare King.

"What are you going to do, throw another egg at me?"

"You're gonna pay for _that_ too…"

"Like how you said I'll pay for 'the massacre' all those centuries ago?"

Bunny flinched, but remained silent. Pitch smirked, and leaned in closer.

"Do you remember that night? I'm sure you do, even if you were young,"

His smirk widened when Bunny started trembling.

"After all, I gave you nightmares about it for months, didn't I?"

Bunny was barely keeping himself from reacting, and oh how he wanted to kick Pitch's teeth in…

"Is that why you've been so protective of your friends lately? Are you afraid of losing them as well? Are you afraid you'll fail to protect them just like you failed to protect the rest of your extinct species-?"

"SHUT UP!" Bunny shouted, whirling around with a murderous glare.

Pitch laughed, and reached a hand through the bars to pat his head.

"Now _there's_ the Easter bunny I remember; feisty and unstable."

Bunny shrank away from his hand, before glaring, and sinking his teeth into it. Pitch let out a furious yell, and yanked his hand out of the cage.

"You ever try to come near them and I will you ya bludger! Ya hear me, I'll kill ya-!"

Pitch, his face darkened by a hateful glare, reached through the bars again, and grabbed the collar. He yanked forward, and Bunny slammed into the cold bars with enough force to stun him.

"You cannot kill _fear_ Bunnymund!" Pitch hissed.

Bunny managed a glower.

"No? Well then, it sure feels good to hurt it."

Pitch returned the glare, and pulled up on the collar. Bunny's glare vanished, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his air get cut off.

"I could have easily taken the boy as well, but I needed someone to run back to the other so called 'guardians'; and I can assure you that once they get here, I'll destroy them the same way I destroyed your filthy breed. And you can stay in this nice little cage and _watch_…"

With that, Pitch released the collar, allowing Bunny to hastily refill his lungs as the dark man vanished back into the shadows. Bunny glared after him, before curling up against the side of the cage.

'_They'll find me…I know they will…but…do I want them to…?'_

Part of him wanted them to find and rescue him; the other part was hoping they wouldn't. They were like a family to him, even Jack, annoying as he could be.

He'd already lost a family once…he couldn't live with himself if he lost another…

::::::::::::::::::::::

Wow, I ended this one on a somber note, huh? I know it's short, but it was the best I could come up with at the moment. I'm combing the web for more screenshots of baby Bunnymund, so if you know where there are some good ones (and I don't mean the ones on DeviantArt, I've found them already) let me know! And tell me what you think of this chapter too!

I've read that Bunny's species (Pookas I think?) was wiped out, but I haven't heard of how it happened. So I'm just gonna go with Pitch doing for _mysterious reasons_ to be revealed later… ;-)


	5. Chapter 5: Enter Boogeyman

"Alright, so let me just make sure I got all this; Jack messed around with some old potions and turned Bunny into a regular sized bunny, then tried to help with Easter, but accidently let Pitch into the Warren, and now he has Bunny?" Tooth asked.

"Yes." North replied.

"Okay, we got that out of the way, so what are we waiting for?" Jack asked, slightly impatient.

The other three guardians glanced at him.

"Jack, I know you are worried, we all are. But we need plan first before action." North stated.

"We already know where Pitch's lair is, so let's just go!"

"Well, Jack…there's a little problem." Tooth said nervously.

Sandy nodded, and several sand images appeared above him; a clock, two small images of him and Tooth, the moon and a star, and the image of a sleeping child.

"It's getting late, and we have to go to work in a couple hours. As much as we want to help right now, we have to keep the children believing in us." Tooth stated.

North gave a sigh, before nodding.

"Alright, we go tomorrow morning."

"_Tomorrow_?!" Jack asked in disbelief.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, promise." Tooth assured him.

"If we're waiting until tomorrow…do you guys have _any_ idea what Pitch can _do_ in that time span?"

The others flinched, before North put a hand on his shoulder.

"We know very well, Jack, but we cannot let the children lose faith in us. If that happens then we can do nothing to help them or Bunny."

"If we leave now, we can get this all done fast and be back before you know. Let's go Sandy!" Tooth said, before flying out the door.

Sandy cast an apologetic look, before following after her. Jack sighed, and leaned back against the wall.

"Do not worry Jack, it is like I said; Bunny is strong, even against someone like Pitch." North said.

"I hope you're right…"

:::::::::::::::::::::::

_It was dark all around, and quiet too._

_Bunny glanced around in confusion, took a step forward- and stopped. He looked down at himself, and discovered, with a little excitement, that he was back to normal._

'_Where am I?' he thought as he continued to look around._

_Suddenly he heard childish laughter behind him, and spun around to find the source. He was stunned by what he saw; it was a group of young Pookas laughing as they chased each other around and tackled each other. Several other things started appearing, like the ground, the night sky, dozens of huts, a large fire, and more Pookas. Some were talking with others, some were sparring, a few were watching the younger ones with smiles, and there was one muscular one with dark grey fur crouched beside a hut, twirling a familiar looking boomerang in one hand as he watched the young ones. A female one with light bluish grey fur hopped out of the hut, and glanced at the children, and she rolled her eyes with a small smile as she leaned against the doorframe. _

"_E. Aster Bunnymund, I told you to come in three minutes ago, it's late." She called._

_The present day Bunny watched in shock as his younger self stopped, glancing at her in annoyance, and started towards her. The others giggled a little as they watched._

"_Bunny got in trouble!" a tan one snickered._

_Bunny shot a glare at him, sticking his tongue at him, before turning back to his mother and following her inside. The older Bunnymund hesitantly followed._

"_Thanks…" younger Bunny muttered._

"_You're welcome, sweetie." She replied with a smug smile. She frowned a little, and started dusting him off._

"_Now look at you, you're covered in dirt!"_

"_Mom, knock it off!"_

"_Just hold still and let me clean you off!"_

"_I'm not five anymore- Daaad!" _

"_Alexander!"_

_The Pooka outside gave an exasperated sigh, before standing and heading inside, sliding the boomerang into a sling on his back._

"_Alright, alright, hang on, the mediator's coming." He called in a thick Australian accent._

"_What's the problem?"_

"_Tell her I'm old enough to clean myself up!"_

"_Tell him as long as he lives in my house he listens to my rules!"_

_Alexander sighed. _

"_I didn't know we had two children in the house; Bunnymund, listen to your mother, Shira, let the boy worry about his own hygiene."_

_Both Pookas frowned, and he returned it with a smug grin._

"_Anyway; you were doing pretty well out there, boy."_

"_Think so?" Bunny asked eagerly. _

"_Still need to work on those reflexes, though."_

_Bunny frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_Well, for example," Alexander said, before jumping at him._

_Bunny squeaked as his father landed on top of him, and laughed as he tried to push him off. Shira rolled her eyes as she sat down on a wooden stump that served as a chair._

"_And now we're back where we started. I swear, what am I gonna do with you boys?" she laughed._

_The two male Pookas laughed along with her, and the present day Bunnymund gave a small smile as he leaned against the doorframe._

_And then everything went black; Bunny looked around in confusion, before his nose twitched. He picked up the smell of smoke, and could hear faint screaming. Slowly the village faded into view, and he felt his heart stop for a moment._

_The huts were either burning or completely demolished, there were various broken objects and weapons scattered across the ground…and there were bodies too; men, women…children…all with final looks of either terror or hostility on them. Bunny's eyes widened, and he jumped back a few feet from the scene. _

"_A wonderful sight, don't you think?"_

_He whirled around, eyes narrowing to a glare upon seeing Pitch. The dark man was examining the area with an almost fond smile._

"_It's amazing really, how such a large and powerful civilization could be wiped out in a single night; the fear that night was simply delicious."_

_Bunny's glare hardened, and took a step toward him. Pitch simply smiled, before turning to fully face him._

"_But you know what the best part of it was? It was finding you actually, the poor little Pooka scared out of his young mind; the fear coming off you was simply intoxicating." _

_Bunny continued to glare, and Pitch smirked as he continued._

"_Tell me, how does it feel to know all of your friends and your family is dead because YOU were too weak to protect them?"_

_Bunny growled, and lunged at him with a boomerang in hand. Pitch vanished, and reappeared a few feet away, laughing._

"_Oh, did I strike a nerve?"_

"_You think this is funny, don't ya Pitch? You think showing me all this is gonna throw me off; well, I've got news for you, mate,"_

_Pitch narrowly ducked a boomerang, and looked up in time to see Bunny lunge at him with the other._

"_IT DOESN'T AFFECT ME ANYMORE!"_

_Pitch smirked, and once again vanished, along with everything else. It was black everywhere again, pitch black, even, but there was no sign of the bogeyman anywhere. Bunny could hear things though; screaming, laughter, and voices too._

"_What am I gonna do with you boys?"_

"_You're getting better, son."_

"_Something's coming…"_

"_Shira, get our son out of here!"_

"_What's happening Mom?!"_

"_RUN BUNNYMUND RUN!"_

"_You were too WEAK to protect them."_

_He heard a familiar laughter behind him, and whipped around with a furious shout while simultaneously throwing the boomerang. However, it disintegrated before it could even reach Pitch, who vanished soon after, but his laughter remained._

_The screams and shouting started to crescendo, and he desperately tried blocking it out, but they still rang in his ears._

_A few seconds later, his screams joined in._

_:::::::::::::::::::::::::_

Pitch smirked as he watched the small rabbit trembling in his sleep, a black sand image of a hare circling his head.

"If I'd known how much of a headache you'd be in the future, I would've killed you back then; but then again, we wouldn't be having this entertaining little get together, would we?" he asked, softly stroking the soft grey fur.

With a triumphant chuckle, Pitch turned away from the cage, and vanished into the shadows.

:::::::::::::::::::

Jack sighed as he lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe they were just standing around while Pitch was doing who knows what to Bunny! Sure, he and Bunny didn't always get along, but that didn't mean Jack didn't care at all about him.

'_Not to mention it was my fault Pitch even got in in the first place…if I'd just closed that stupid tunnel!'_ he thought angrily.

After a minute, Jack sighed and jumped out of bed, grabbing his staff as he went.

'_Sorry North, but I'm not gonna sit around while Bunny's in trouble.'_

After writing a quick note, he flew out of the room, and headed for the doors. He froze when he heard a curious squeak. He looked behind him to see an elf. The elf was looking up at him curiously, with a questioning frown on his face.

"Don't tell North, alright?" Jack asked.

The elf crossed his arms and gave him a skeptic look that seemed to say 'what's in it for me?'

"I won't tell North where half of his cookie dough disappeared to."

At this, the elf's eyes widened, and he hastily nodded. Jack smirked, before heading for the doors. Once outside, he summoned the wind, and took off for Burgess.

:::::::::::::::::::::

Wow, that got a little scary, even for me. I was listening to Enter Sandman when I was writing this; I know most people like to associate the song with Sandy, but it seems to suit Pitch more in my opinion. It's all scary and stuff! ^^

Well, it's not the full story, but a brief summary of what happened to the Pookas. And Jack's being Jack, running off into trouble before considering the consequences. How will this turn out? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Jack silently observed the area ahead of him. Everything looked like what you would normally find in a forest, except for the wooden frame of an old bed in the middle of the clearing. He carefully approached, and looked down the hole in the ground; he couldn't see anything, and he didn't hear anything either.

His grip on his staff tightened, and he took one last look around before jumping into the hole. He floated down the long drop, and after a minute or two, found the floor, and quietly made his way down the long tunnel. He made it into the large interior of Pitch's lair, and was watching the shadows suspiciously as he walked.

The place looked different than last time; the cages were lying on the floor, the globe was completely black, and a few pillars were lying on their sides. There were no signs of anyone having been there in a while.

'_Where is he…?'_ Jack thought as he walked up a flight of stairs.

"Ah, hello Jack,"

Jack whipped around upon in surprise, and saw Pitch watching him from the shadow of a pillar that was still standing.

"Welcome back, so nice of you to drop in."

"Where is he, Pitch?" Jack demanded angrily.

"Hm? Oh, you mean your fuzzy little friend; well, I knew you would be coming here to find him first, so I decided to find a new place of residence and see how much time you wasted just by infiltrating this one. I was expecting more of you though, where are the rest of your 'friends'?"

Jack's glare faltered for a minute, before it returned.

"_Where_ is he?"

Pitch smirked, before waving his hand. Black sand appeared, and formed a circle in the air, and in the sand, an image formed. It showed a cage similar to the other ones in the lair, and in it, Jack could just barely make out the small, quivering form of a rabbit. Blue eyes narrowing, he aimed his staff at Pitch.

"Tell me _now_, where is Bunny?!"

"Now Jack, if I told you, where would the fun in that be? No, I don't think I'll tell you just yet; I'm having much more fun tearing him apart piece by painful, little, piece."

Jack lunged at him, and swung his staff with an angered shout. Pitch easily dodged, and knocked him back against a pillar with his nightmare sand.

"Well, as fun as this is, I have more important things to work on. I just thought I'd check in to see if anyone was stupid enough to think I'd actually stay here; good day."

Pitch laughed as he vanished into the shadows, and Jack glared at where he'd been. He stood with the help of the staff, and after a look around to make sure Pitch hadn't been lying, headed for the exit.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

He climbed out of the hole, muttering to himself as he took to the air. The sun was rising, giving everything golden glow, and bringing slight warmth to the cold environment. A couple minutes later, he was sitting on a branch overlooking the frozen lake, brooding.

'_How am I supposed to find Bunny now…?'_ he thought with an annoyed sigh.

As he was thinking, something large flew overhead, and he glanced up in surprise. When he saw it was a sleigh, he thumped back against the trunk with a sigh.

"Great, let's make this day even better…"

He jumped from the tree, and landed beside the lake at the same time as North's sleigh. Immediately, Sandy, Tooth, and the sleigh owner jumped out of the bright red vehicle.

"Jack, what were you thinking?! Are you daft?!" North shouted.

Jack didn't get a chance to reply, as North continued yelling more questions and other things, some were in Russian and made no sense to Jack. Sandy and Tooth were stuck watching with nervous eyes that flicked back and forth between North and Jack.

"You cannot fight Pitch on your own! I know you are strong, but not enough to handle him on your own!"

"Alright, I get it, it was a dumb move! But I couldn't just sit around while Bunny was in trouble!" Jack exclaimed.

"I know you are worried Jack, we all are! We want to rescue Bunny as much as you do, but we cannot go _leaping_ into fight before we are ready!"

"It doesn't matter anyway, Pitch isn't even here; well, not anymore."

"What do you mean?" Tooth asked.

"Pitch did show up, but just to tell me he found some new place where he's keeping Bunny."

The guardians were silent for a minute, thinking things over.

"So, where should we look now?" Tooth finally asked.

"I am not sure; where else would Pitch keep his lair?" North remarked.

"Someplace dark…and cold too." Jack murmured.

"What makes you think it's cold wherever he is?" Tooth asked.

"Just a hunch based on something Pitch told me last year after…the Easter incident. And he showed me Bunny, and he looked like he was cold; plus, Bunny doesn't like the cold, so I thought it made sense."

"Hmm, makes sense to me; but where to look? There are many cold places in world." North stated.

"Antarctica."

"How do you-?"

"Past experience."

The three guardians studied him for a minute, before nodding.

"Very well, Jack, if you're sure; to Antarctica!" North announced.

The group jumped in the sleigh, and as North prepared for take-off, Tooth and Sandy glanced at Jack.

"So, what did Pitch say that made you think it's cold wherever he is?" Tooth asked.

Jack's expression darkened.

"What goes together better than cold and dark…"

Tooth and Sandy glanced at each other in slight confusion, but the sleigh lurched and took off before they could say anything.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bunny curled up in a tighter ball in an attempt to conserve warmth. Whatever Pitch was doing to make it so bloody cold was really ticking him off. The metal cage and the cold sand weren't helping either. He shivered a little, and curled up tighter.

Adding to the cold, he was also tired. No, scratch that; he was bloody exhausted! He hadn't slept since last night, or at least he thought it was; it was hard to keep track of time in here. There weren't any windows, and the only light came from a few torches attached to the stone walls, but they only succeeded in casting more flickering shadows. He was not about to fall asleep, not after last time; he couldn't handle another nightmare like that.

His stomach growled, reminding him of yet another problem. He hadn't eaten anything in a while either, and his hollow stomach stated it every few minutes. He was parched too; after waking up, he'd shouted every curse known to man and Pooka at Pitch, not really caring that they were met with laughter; it just made him feel better. Now he was regretting his brashness.

What he'd give for a few carrots and some hot chocolate…

"Ah, good morning, little rabbit,"

Eyes narrowing, he lifted his head slightly to glower at Pitch. The dark man appeared from the shadows, an amused smile on his face as he approached the cage.

"How are you doing this sickly fine morning?"

"Bite me." Bunny retorted.

"That sounds more like your thing."

"Oh yeah," Bunny smirked, "How's your hand doin' anyway?"

Pitch's smile fell, replaced by an annoyed glare, and Bunny met it with a smirk. Pitch reached through the bars and grabbed the chain, and yanked upward. Bunny's air was cut off as his feet left the floor, his eyes wide as he grabbed at the collar.

"If you want to see another Easter you should start behaving." Pitch hissed, before calming somewhat, and setting Bunny back on the floor. He kept hold of the chain though.

"By the way, I met with your little friend Jack earlier."

Bunny's ears perked up a little, and he glanced at him suspiciously.

"The other guardians weren't with him oddly. I guess they don't care enough about you to come looking for you."

"Stow it ya bloody show pony, yer not gettin' inside'a my head!"

Pitch smirked, and started pulling the chain towards him. Bunny's eyes widened slightly, and the sound of claws on metal filled the room as he attempted to root himself to the floor. His efforts were futile though, and he was trapped against the side of the cage as Pitch leaned down.

"You can't stop what's already been done," Pitch murmured, "From the time we met I've kept tabs on you; how do you think I know about every doubt and conflict you have of your so called friends."

Bunny glared at him with furious green eyes.

"I don't know what yer talkin' about ya whacker, now let me go-!"

"You are constantly arguing with North about Easter being more important than Christmas, you think the Tooth Fairy talks too much about teeth, Sandman makes you nervous because of the similarities his powers have with mine, and you've hated Jack since the blizzard of '68!"

Things were silent; Bunny was staring at Pitch in horrified shock, while Pitch returned it with a smug grin. After a minute and still no response, Pitch chuckled, and turned away from the cage. Before he got very far though, a quivering voice mumbled,

"I don't hate him…"

He half turned to smirk at Bunny.

"Oh, and what about the rest? Am I false about any of that as well?"

Bunny hesitantly met his triumphant gaze, before letting it drop, and curling back up into a shaking ball. Pitch smirked, and then vanished into the shadows.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Whew, finally, thought I would never finish this one! Oh, and I'd like to send a thank you shout out to CheshireCatGrin3421 for the idea for the next chapter! What is it you ask? Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out, eh? Lol…

Oh, and by the way, this story is in second for a story I've written with the most reviews! In first is my Sonic X story about Iblis and Mephiles and all that stuff. (You know it if you've read it, ^^.) I'm hoping to break my record of 60 reviews, and I'm so close with 58 right now, so keep 'em comin' my fellow fan-fiction writers!


	7. Chapter 7: Hope Shattered

…You all are probably gonna want some tissues for this…I warned you…

::::::::::::::::::::::

In the frozen tundra of Antarctica, a vortex of color burst into being, and North's sleigh sailed out of it.

"Wow you weren't kidding, it is _cold_!" Tooth mumbled as she hugged herself in an attempt to stay warm. Baby Tooth huddled on her shoulder, shivering as well, and she let out a small sneeze.

"Yep, best summer getaway I ever made." Jack remarked with a grin.

Sandy and Tooth gave weak smiles as they huddled together; Jack and North were fine though, due to the fact that they lived in cold climates year round.

"Alright, where do we start? This is big continent." North asked.

"I…have no idea. Just…look for something dark and creepy." Jack muttered.

"Oh, that should make things _much_ simpler…"

Sandy glanced over the side, and started waving his arm to catch their attention. Following his finger, they saw what had him worked up. A large tower of ice was perched on a cliff, with several crystals jutting out of one side; inside there seemed to be bits of black shifting around, making it appear like there was a shadow inside.

"Whoa…what is that?" Tooth asked, before noticing that Jack was glaring at the formation.

"Jack, do you know something about it?"

"…Yeah, I came here after Easter last year…to vent, ya know? Well, Pitch showed up and we got into a little fight and…that happened."

"It is best lead we've got; let's investigate, maybe there is something that will tell us where Pitch is." North announced.

They veered towards it, but as they were doing so, Jack caught movement in the corner of his eye. He looked, and suddenly yelled,

"North, look out!"

The large Russian man barely managed to get the reindeer to move before a Nightmare flew past them, skimming the side of the sleigh. Another followed it, and slammed into the two front reindeer. The sleigh spun out of the control, and yet another Nightmare lunged at the reins; they were sliced clean through, and the occupants yelled as they plummeted towards the ground, while the reindeer were still being attacked by the Nightmares, preventing them from offering assistance.

"Everybody hold on!" North shouted as they headed for the side of a mountain.

He was only met with screams, or terrified expressions in Sandy's case.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Pitch smirked as he approached the cage, where a glowering Bunny still sat. The shrunken Pooka looked angry, though he still seemed shaken up by their earlier exchange.

"What now?" Bunny sighed in annoyance.

"Oh nothing, I just thought you'd like to be updated on your 'friends' attempted rescue mission." Pitch replied cheerfully.

Bunny caught the dark joy in his voice, and looked up suspiciously.

"They put up a valiant effort, and showed a little smarts too; I'm a little impressed."

"Get to your bloody point, Pitch…"

Pitch's smirk sent a chill up his spine, and a feeling of unease formed.

"I merely wanted to offer my condolences."

Bunny paused, and the unease grew.

"What'd you do…?"

"I merely had my Nightmares patrolling the area, I had no control over what they did."

"_What_ did you do?"

"Unfortunately, I neglected to inform them I wanted them all alive; how forgetful of me."

Bunny's stomach lurched, and his heart skipped a beat or two.

"Wh…what?"

Pitch's smirk widened, and he leaned down so his face was directly on the other side of the bars where Bunny was crouched down in fear.

"It's just you and me now, Bunnymund," he murmured, "Fate, it seems, likes leaving you alone."

"…You…you're lying…I know you are. I'm not fallin' for it ya bludger-!"

Pitch held something up, and Bunny cut himself off. In Pitch's hand was Jack's wooden staff; the winter spirit would never go anywhere without it.

"I think we both know Jack would never abandon this." Pitch stated.

Bunny merely stared at the staff wordlessly, and Pitch smirked, before straightening.

"I'll check in on you later." He said, turning and walking away.

"Pitch, get back here! Tell me what happened! _Pitch_!" Bunny shouted.

Pitch smirked, and vanished into the shadows. Bunny glared at where he'd gone, before reality sank back in.

"They're not gone…they can't be…they can't be…" he murmured, barely aware of his vision blurring.

They had to be alright, they just had to. He couldn't lose them…not like his people…not again…

'_I can't lose them…I can't, I can't! This has to be some trick of his, it has to be! But Jack wouldn't leave his staff…he can't…they can't be…it's not…'_

An anguished scream filled the chamber, before it dissolved into sobs.

Watching from the shadows, Pitch gave an evil smirk.

'_Music to my ears…'_

The staff in his hands disintegrated into black sand, and he turned and started towards another section of his lair. He knew full well it would take more than a simple sleigh crash to take out the guardians, otherwise it would be too easy. But, that didn't mean he couldn't use the idea to play around a little, and Bunny's screams were definantly worth it.

Now though, he had other matters to attend to, such as finding out where the guardians really were. They were so close already, it had caught him a little off guard. Fortunately he had those Nightmares on guard, or they most certainly would've found this place by now.

'_Seems Jack is cleverer than I thought…looks like I have plans to make…'_

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Jack, his staff held tightly in hand, moaned as he sat up in the snow drift they had been lucky enough to land in. Tooth was a few feet away, rubbing her head, Sandy was stuck head first in the snow, his feet flailing in the air, and North was examining his damaged sleigh.

"Awww, I just repainted it…" he whined.

"Don't worry North, I'm sure you'll have it fixed in no time." Tooth assured him.

"And I installed new global positioning software too…"

"You mean G.P.S.?" Jack asked as he pulled Sandy from the snow.

The little man shook his head free of snow, and gave him a thankful salute.

"Whatever…" North muttered.

"Alright, so those Nightmares had to mean we're close to Pitch's lair. Let's get back to that tower, something tells me we'll find him if we do…" Jack stated, glaring at the distant shining tower of dark ice.

Everyone nodded, and they began their long trek. Before they got far though, Tooth glanced around worriedly.

"Where's Baby Tooth?"

They glanced around for the small fairy, but saw no sign of her.

"I saw her before the attack happened, where did she go-?"

Tooth was cut off when a hole opened up a few feet away. A few seconds later, a few colorful eggs hopped out, and raced over to the group.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you eggs doing here?" Jack asked, kneeling down.

The violet one from yesterday hopped into his open hand, jumping up and down and squeaking loudly.

"Something's wrong…" North murmured.

The other eggs squeaked as if in agreement, and jumped back down the hole one by one. Jack looked at the one in hand, and it jumped down and raced over to the hole, stopping just in front of it. After a minute, it too jumped in.

"Come on, let's find out what's going on." Jack said, following.

The others glanced at one another uneasily, before following.

::::::::::::::::::::::

They arrived at the Warren a few seconds later, and gasped in shock. Saying it looked different was an understatement.

The ground was bare, showing dry hard packed dirt instead, the trees were dead, the leaves that used to be attached now black and lying into mounds beneath them, and the rivers were gone, leaving behind deep trenches instead.

All the eggs in the Warren were huddled in a huge group at the center, and the sentinel eggs were planted around them in a defensive circle.

"What happened to this place…?" Jack finally asked, taking a step forward. "It was just fine yesterday…what happened?"

"Oh no…" North murmured.

"What? What's wrong?" Jack asked, turning to face him.

"Bunny is the guardian of hope, Jack; the Warren is powered by the beliefs of children, but more so by hope, especially Bunny's. But if this happens, then…" Tooth trailed off.

Everyone was silent as the revelation sunk in.

"Bunny's losing hope…" Jack murmured in shock.

:::::::::::::::::::::

…Oh my gosh I feel so bad for putting Bunny through this…why, why must I make Pitch so evil?! Forgive me Bunny and Bunny's fans, forgive me!

So, will the guardians be successful? Will Bunny last? Will the Warren and Easter be saved? And where IS Baby Tooth?!

Stay tuned to find out!


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I had some problems getting this one done!**_

_**Anyway; YES I HIT100 REVIEWS, WOO!**_

…_**.Sorry, this is the first time I've ever gotten that many reviews on one story with less than ten chapters…but enough of my rambling, let's get to what you've been waiting for!**_

_**:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**_

"Okay, this settles it; we're going back to Antarctica and finding Bunny, NOW!" Jack said firmly.

"Jack is right, we must hurry before Warren and Easter are ruined permanently!" North added.

The others nodded, and turned back to the tunnel they'd come out of to go back; however, a laugh caused them to pause. A shadow rushed past them, and they whipped around to see Pitch.

"Greetings Guardians, enjoying the view?" he asked, smirking a little.

"Pitch…" Jack growled.

"Oh hello Jack, didn't we meet up just a few hours ago?"

Jack's eyes narrowed, his hands tightening around his staff. Pitch smirked wider, before looking around at the ruined Warren.

"I must say, I love the new look; so desolate and sad, so…_hopeless_, wouldn't you say?"

"What'd you do to Bunny?" Jack demanded.

"Oh nothing, just informed him of recent events. I couldn't have _possibly_ known you'd survived that sleigh crash, but hey, at least _I_ know you're alive."

"What did you _do_?"

"Nothing horrendous, at least I didn't think it was; now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to breaking your little friend."

Jack shot an blast of cold energy at him, but Pitch vanished with a laugh. The Guardians glared at the spot he'd been, before looking at one another worriedly.

"What do you think he meant about him knowing we were alive?" Tooth asked.

"He knows we're alive after the sleigh crash…" Jack murmured, trying to figure things out.

Apparently he and North came to the same conclusion at the exact same time, as his eyes widened.

"Bunny thinks we're dead…" Jack mumbled.

After a few seconds of shock, they swiftly turned towards the tunnels.

"Come, we go now!" North yelled.

The others followed close behind, and they started back down the tunnel. The egglets watched them go, squeaking to each other nervously.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bunny was curled up against a side of the cage, staring blankly at the floor. He was still cold, hungry, and tired, but none of them were as bad as the painful empty feeling he had inside. It was worse than when the children had stopped believing in him; emptier, sadder…

He knew the Warren must be suffering, but he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Right now, all he cared about was getting out of here, fast. He didn't care how, so long as he was alive and away from Pitch. With the other Guardians…gone, though, the chances were slim. He needed a miracle, now.

"Manny…I dunno if you can 'ear me down here…but I could really use some help mate…" he murmured.

"You're asking _him_ for help?"

He jumped a little, but remained where he was. He lifted his head a little to glower at Pitch behind him.

"Why ask him, eh? What's he ever done for you?" Pitch continued with a small smirk.

Bunny glared, but remained silent.

"I mean, he's never done anything for you in the past; he didn't _save_ your people, he just _let_ them die. Like your little guardian friends."

"Shut up…"

"You all respect him so highly, yet he does so little for you."

"_Shut up…"_

"Face it, he's a sham; he swears to protect the children, yet he can't even protect his precious Guardians. Look at you, you're down here in the darkest pit on the planet…and he does _nothing_."

Bunny jumped to his feet, glaring death at Pitch.

"SHUT. _UP!_"

Pitch smirked, leaning down to his level. Reaching through the bars, he gripped the chain, and yanked against the metal, forcing a hiss of pain from the rabbit, but he still managed a glare.

"I see there's still a little fight left in you; impressive," Pitch murmured, before his smirk turned into a chilling grin, and he held up his other hand. A small amount of bluish black sand appeared, and Bunny's eyes widened.

"Let's just fix that."

A quick breath sent the sand into Bunny's face. He'd been hit with Sandy's dream sand before, and it had filled him with warm joy; Pitch's nightmare sand filled him with cold dread and terror. Despite his best efforts, Bunny slipped into unconsciousness, with Pitch's grin being the last thing he saw.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Okay, so what's our plan?" Tooth asked as they stared at the ice tower in the distance.

"We cannot go rushing in; Pitch will be expecting us now. We must find way to quietly enter his lair." North replied.

Everyone nodded, but Jack noticed Tooth's worried look.

"Don't worry about Baby Tooth, she's a tough little fairy. Either we'll find her, or she'll find us." He stated with a soft smile.

Tooth returned it with her own, and nodded a little.

"You're right; for now let's focus on getting Bunny away from Pitch."

Jack nodded, and the Guardians set off.

::::::::::::::::::::::

Baby Tooth chirped nervously as she looked around the dark cold area.

She'd gotten separated from her Momma and the other Guardians during the nightmare attack, and fallen from the sleigh. Luckily she had managed to flutter her way safely to the ground, and had found herself staring up at the gigantic tower of black ice.

She'd also seen the sleigh go down about a mile away, causing her to panic for a moment, but she knew that the Guardians were okay. She would've felt it if something had happened to her Queen, so they all had to be okay.

After that, Baby Tooth and decided to investigate the tower to see if she could find anything suspicious. She'd nearly been startled to death when Pitch suddenly appeared out of the tower. She took cover behind a pile of snow, and watched him for a moment. Pitch had stared at the spot where the sleigh crashed for a moment, before grinning and laughing to himself, and then vanished back into the black ice.

Baby Tooth was stunned, before she'd flown up to the ice to get a closer look. Her closer look ended up sending her into the ice, and it felt like going through one of North's snow globe portals, except it was dark and cold.

Now, she was resting on a pillar turned on its side, staring around a shadowy room with metal cages hanging from the roof; the same type of cages that had once held her sisters during Pitch's last attack. She shuddered a little, before taking to the air and flying towards what looked like the entrance to a hallway. The hall was even darker than the last room, and made her feel uneasy as she traversed down the hall. It seemed to go on forever, before she finally found an exit, and entered a smaller room that was dimly lit by torches.

In the center of the room, hanging from the ceiling, was another cage, and she could make out a small form huddled inside. She flew closer, and easily slipped through the metal bars. She immediately came to a halt when she recognized the occupant.

The tiny Bunny was lying on the floor of the cage, a chain of black sand connecting him to the floor. Baby Tooth was excited that she'd found him, but it quickly died when he started whimpering and squirming in his sleep. Worried, she attempted to shake him awake, but it didn't seem to be working. Bunny let out another whimper, and she heard him mumble,

"No…I'm sorry…."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Bunny was huddled in a dark corner, large shadows engulfing him, and trembling as voices hissed around him._

"_It's your fault we're dead!"_

"_We gave our lives to try and rescue YOU? Look at you, you're pathetic!"_

"_How does it feel knowing that no one's gonna help you? I had to deal with that for 300 years!"_

"_Is waste of time to even be shouting at you now!"_

_Bunny heard what sounded like a sword being removed from its sheath, and his head shot up to look at the Guardians in surprise. They were barely more than shadowy figures, with glowing white eyes. North was holding a jagged sword out, and raised it to strike._

"_NORTH WAIT, GUYS PLEASE I-!"_

_As the sword fell, he let out a screech as he pressed as far into the corner as possible._

:::::::::::::::::::::

A shrill chirping in his ear jolted him awake, along with a sharp pain in his leg.

His eyes snapped open, and he was met with a small colorful form fluttering in his face. After a moment, he caught his breath and sat up.

"Baby Tooth…?" he mumbled in surprise.

The small fairy gave a happy chirp, and nuzzled against his head.

"Hey little sheila, how are ya?"

Baby Tooth gave a happy chirp, before giving a more questioning one along with a concerned gaze.

"I-I'm fine, really I…"

By the look on the little fairy's face, she wasn't buying it.

"Okay, I'm not fine…" he muttered as tears started forming in his eyes.

"I don't wanna be here anymore, I just wanna go home…I can't take it anymore, and now with the others de…gone, I-I can't-"

Baby Tooth suddenly started chirping furiously, cutting him off and making him look at her in confusion.

"What? Whatsa matter?"

Baby Tooth went on about something in her language of chirps and squeaks, while Bunny desperately tried to keep up. He'd been attempting to learn the language of the miniscule fairies for years, and although he couldn't completely understand what they said, he knew enough to understand Baby Tooth.

"You…you're saying that…they're alive…?"

Baby Tooth nodded vigorously, and Bunny glanced away for a second in stunned confusion.

"Pitch said that…they were…"

His eyes narrowed in anger, and he growled, "That no good…lying little…shadow sneakin' ratbag!"

"I see the fairy's out of the bag."

The duo jumped at the voice, and glanced up to see Pitch strolling up to the cage. Baby Tooth hovered closer to the cage floor and squeaked fearfully, while Bunny moved in front of her with a furious glare.

"Pitch, you no good bludger, I ought ta kick yer teeth in-!"

"Yes, yes, threaten me and whatnot; when you're finished, perhaps we could have an intelligent conversation."

Bunny seethed with anger, his teeth bared as Pitch leaned forward so they were eye to eye.

"You told me they were dead."

"So I might've stretched the truth a bit; I didn't actually _know_ about their status at the time, I just assumed is all."

"You sorry son of dingo-!"

"Ah, ah, let's watch our language little rabbit; now then, as much as I'd love to match wits with you, we have preparations to make."

Bunny and Baby Tooth glanced at one another, before looking back at Pitch with slightly confused glares.

"Your little friends will be coming, and I'm going to make sure I keep that promise I made to you long ago…"

Baby Tooth looked even more confused, but noticed Bunny's slight shift in attitude. He looked less angry now, and more nervous. Pitch smirked as he opened the cage door and reached in; the chain dissolved into black sand, and Bunny was snatched up by the scruff of his neck as Baby Tooth let out a worried squeak.

"I promised you long ago that I would make sure you were alone for the rest of your life," Pitch murmured as he came eye to eye with Bunny, "And it's time I brought the Guardians into that factor; or rather, take them _out_ of the factor."

Bunny's eyes widened, and Pitch's smirk widened. He would've laughed; except there was a furious chirp, and a blur of color flew at him. There was a stab of pain as Baby Tooth jabbed her beak into his hand that was holding Bunny, and he dropped the Pooka with a yelp.

As soon as he hit the floor, Bunny was racing off with Baby Tooth at his side, fleeing into the hall that Baby Tooth had come from. A furious shout from behind put a burst of speed into their escape.

"You know the way outta here?" Bunny asked.

The fairy gave a chirp of affirmation, and took the lead as they raced through Pitch's lair.

A nightmare suddenly sprung in front of them, forcing them to skid to a halt. As they tried to back away, more appeared, and cornered the small duo against a wall. Baby Tooth squeaked fearfully, while Bunny moved in front of her and stood on his hind legs as he glared at the black sand horses. Pitch appeared seconds later, his furious eyes focused on the two trapped prisoners.

Bunny glanced back at Baby Tooth, then crouched down and whispered, "Listen sheila, when I give the signal, you make a break for the exit."

Baby Tooth shook her head, worry forming in her pink and blue eyes.

"Ya need ta find the others and warn 'em, a'right? I'll be fine, I've lived through worse."

Baby Tooth chirped sadly, before slowly nodding. Bunny gave a reassuring smile, before turning back to the threat at hand.

"Ya want me ya bludgers, come and get me!"

He shot off to the side, and the nightmares followed. Baby Tooth ducked behind a large rock, and watched with a worried gaze.

Bunny was leading the nightmares on a chase throughout the room, shooting jibes and insults as they tried and failed to corner him. He came to a stop in front of Pitch, looking back to make sure they were still following, then looked up at the Nightmare King with a smirk. He dove out of the way, and Pitch's eyes widened, seconds before the group of nightmares plowed into him. They hit the floor, and Bunny glanced towards Baby Tooth.

"Now, go, go!" he yelled.

Baby Tooth shot towards the tunnel she'd entered the lair through, and Bunny followed her whilst keeping an eye on Pitch. The man was getting to his feet, glaring at the fleeing duo, before shouting at the nightmares.

"Get them you idiots, do your jobs!"

Bunny and Baby Tooth raced into the tunnel, and for a moment, both were feeling pretty good about their chances of escape.

Then something grabbed Bunny's foot and yanked him back a few inches, forcing a yelp from the rabbit. Baby Tooth squeaked, and flew back to try and help.

"No Baby Tooth, ya need ta get outta here!"

The tendril of sand around his ankle yanked again, dragging him further back, and he dug his claws into the dirt of the tunnel to try and keep his ground.

"Get out and find the others! Ya need to warn them okay?"

Baby Tooth still looked unsure, until Bunny met her gaze. She could see the terror in their green depths, and his voice shook a little as he murmured, "Please…"

The small fairy hesitated, before giving a nod. Slowly, she turned, and after one last look back, she flew off at top speed.

Bunny gave a small smile, before the tendril of sand pulled again, harder, and he was yanked out of the tunnel and into the air.

"Let go'a me! Get yer slimy sand offa me!" he shouted as he twisted and kicked at the black sand.

More sand swirled around him, and it formed into a small hutch that he was ungraciously stuffed into. The sand making up the roof vanished, and he found himself looking up at a very angry Pitch. The intensity of the glare was enough to make him shudder. Pitch reached in, and swiftly pinned Bunny to the floor of the hutch by his neck, and squeezing tightly.

"Silly rabbit," Pitch said in a brittle cheerful tone as Bunny gagged, "You're going to pay for that."

Pitch's hand tightened even more, and Bunny clawed at his arm as his eyes squeezed shut.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

_**Will the Guardians find Pitch's lair? Will Baby Tooth warn them in time? Will Bunny be able to hold on much longer? All these questions will be answered in the next and final chapter!**_


End file.
